The following editorial was written by Tyler Treese and does not reflect the opinions of WrestleZone as a whole. We encourage you all to discuss Tyler’s thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this post and follow him on Twitter @tylertreese.
Samoa Joe captured the WWE United States Championship last night on SmackDown Live. Surprisingly, it’s the first title that the heavyweight has held on the main roster. Previously, he was NXT Champion until he lost the belt to Shinsuke Nakamura.
This victory instantly boosts the profile of Joe, who has feuded for the WWE Championship but has come up short every time. The question that now needs to be answered is who will he face at WrestleMania 35? I think the answer is clear, and it’s one that will leave fans very happy.
John Cena vs. Samoa Joe is a genuine dream match
While Joe was only inserted to the US Championship scene this week, the past month has constantly brought up the name of John Cena. This mostly stemmed from then champion R-Truth wanting to emulate the star. This led to the fantastic open challenge matches and some hilarious promos where R-Truth, who is older than Cena, called the Bumblebee actor his childhood hero.
These constant reminders have gotten Cena back in the minds of WWE fans that haven’t seen the star much this year. His appearances in 2018 were quite sporadic, but the loyal performer isn’t one to miss WrestleMania. Last year, he faced off against The Undertaker, and now he’s looking for a marquee spot on the WrestleMania 35 card. So, why not Samoa Joe?
The bout makes sense for a number of reasons but the biggest is that it will feel like a big deal. Back when Cena was the face of WWE, Samoa Joe was wowing fans in both Ring of Honor and TNA. He was seen as the face of the opposition. The two were seen as opposites. Joe, the gritty indie star that was putting on five star matches. Cena, the corporate babyface that had every possible advantage one would want and massive amount of marketing. Despite how dissimilar they were, they were both alike in one key area: people wanted to see them wrestle.
Getting a John Cena vs. Samoa Joe match would be an iconic showdown. A match once thought to be impossible finally coming to fruition. It would also serve as a WrestleMania moment for Joe, who many thought would never see the bright lights of the largest wrestling promotion in the world. Both performers can put on incredible matches, cut scathing promos, and there really are no negatives to such a match.
While fans do love a good swerve every once in a while, I really hope WWE just does the obvious thing here. John Cena vs. Samoa Joe makes so much sense at WrestleMania 35 and sometimes the most logical answer does the best business.
